“Infections from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) bacteria are the most common cause of travelers’ diarrhea, and they commonly cause childhood diarrhea in low-income regions. In children below the age of five, whose immune systems are still developing, the infections can lead to malnourishment; they cause up to 42,000 deaths annually. Soon there may be a vaccine to protect against these infections.
In the Lancet Infectious Diseases last month, scientists shared the results of the first study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an ETEC-controlling vaccine in a large pediatric population in Gambia. The vaccine—called ETVAX—is among several in development to reduce ETEC infections in both adults and children. ETVAX provided immunity against the pathogens and did not have any adverse side effects.
ETEC bacteria have ‘adhesin’ proteins that enable them to attach themselves to the intestinal mucosa. The bacteria then release toxins, which lead to watery diarrhea and abdominal cramping. In low-income countries, a lack of access to sanitation and clean drinking water increases the risk of E. coli infections, resulting in more childhood fatalities and higher health care costs.
An approved oral cholera vaccine called Dukoral provides partial protection against some forms of ETEC diarrhea, but ‘at present, there is no approved E. coli vaccine available for protection against any type of E. coli infections in humans,’ says immunologist Ann-Mari Svennerholm of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, who co-authored the study. She notes that ETVAX is the first to show significant protection against E. coli infections in people.”
From Scientific American.